Ministers made empowered to take a call on deputation of officers beyond 5 years; no need to refer cases to DoPT

IF A ministry or a department or any other borrowing government organization wishes to retain an officer on deputation beyond five years, it can now do it with the approval of the minister concerned, without the case being referred to the department of personnel and training (DoPT). The only conditions, however, are that the extension has to be “absolutely necessary in the public interest”, and it can be only “up to a period not exceeding 7 years at a stretch”, according to a DoPT letter dated June 27 and addressed to all…

state chief secretaries. The subject of the letter was “Consolidated Deputation Guidelines for All India Services”.

DoPT’s instruction dated November 28, 2007 provides the guidelines for All India Service Officers with respect to Rule 6 of the IAS (Cadre) Rules, 1954 and the analogous provision for the Indian Police Service and the Indian Forest Service. So, giving the authority to the minister concerned to extend deputation of officers up to seven years at a stretch, with no need to rope in the DoPT, is a recent addition to the original 2007 instruction. “Thus no case of extension shall be referred to the Department of Personnel and Training, New Delhi,” the June 27 letter to chief secretaries said. All other requirements such as willingness and vigilance clearance of the officer concerned, no-objection certificate of the lending authority or state government, and the UPSC or ACC approval wherever applicable, need to be fulfilled.

All other terms and conditions issued vide an office memorandum dated March 29, 2012 will remain unchanged.

But what will happen in case an officer’s deputation needs to be extended beyond seven years? “In cases where the necessity to have deputation tenures longer than seven years is felt, the concerned administrative Ministries/Departments/borrowing organizations may amend the relevant Recruitment Rules of such deputation post accordingly, after following the requisite procedure. No extension of deputation beyond 7 years is to be allowed unless provided in the relevant Recruitment Rules of such deputation post”, the letter to the chief secretaries further said.